Poetry Tips: Contests That Require Payment

This tip is really more a matter of opinion than one of expertise. I’ve seen plenty of contests for poets to enter and some require payment while others do not. Some are large, big-name presses, others are small presses.

My tip to you is that if you decide to enter a contest that requires payment your odds may improve if you keep in mind the following:
1) Know the press. If you know what kind of work they tend to publish you will know if the poems or collection you are submitting are a good fit

2) Have a track record of publication. Even if it’s a small track record of 2 or 3 poems, or one or two collections you will have tested your ability to publish and even if the editors aren’t looking to see how many poems or collections you’ve published you will know you have tested the battlefield of poetry submissions and won on occasion.

3) Read and review the guidelines thoroughly. This may seem obvious but it pays to read closely what is involved in the contest. You may only receive a couple of copies of your winning poem/chapbook and is it worth the price you paid to enter? You may also be facing a very small print run, is that worth the contest fee to you? Did you follow all the guidelines so that the editor won’t be forced to reject your submission? If you win the contest, are there any additional expectations you must fulfill such as reading to an audience? Are you willing to fulfill those obligations?


Good luck to all of you who enter contests and please drop in again next week…

The American Poetry Review Open Submissions

You will need to snail mail three to five poems and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your submission. If you are submitting prose, please double-space the manuscript. You must include all contact information, including an e-mail address, for your poetry.

You may snail mail your manuscript to:
The Editors
APR
1700 Sansom Street, Suite 800
Philadelphia, PA 19103

For further details, go to:
https://www.aprweb.org/about


Good luck to all who submit, please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

https://sites.google.com/site/rhpissue41/marian-haddad
Marian Haddad’s “In a Desert Courtyard”


https://sites.google.com/site/rhpissue41/ldt4
Larry Thomas’ “Sorrow”


Thanks for clicking in, please stop by tomorrow for more Open Submissions…

Misti Rainwater-Lites' Amethyst Miraculous

Misti Rainwater-Lites’ collection, Amethyst Miraculous, is bawdy, brash, and brassy. Published by Alternating Current's Propaganda Press, it’s like sneaking into a dirty movie when you’re 13 and knowing your parents will kill you if they find out. It’s a collection that may make some people blush and I’ve plucked out the tamer poems so as to avoid a necessary “parental discretion is advised” warning:


Tarot Spread Reveals
the tainted tuna will kill you

while you sleep
dreaming of horny mermaids

the empty pocket blues
will lead you to Thailand
and food you cannot pronounce

your uncle is thinking
of hitting you up for a loan

your grandma is thinking
of stealing your motorcycle

your mama is thinking of
running off to Vancouver

your boyfriend is thinking
of another chick’s ass

your dolphin won’t stay
in your pool forever

a hot bubble bath
can only help
your situation


Really, I just love the little bits about the family members and boyfriend because I find them hilarious. I would love a tarot reading like this, I might actually attempt one if I can get readings such as the ones above. Also, what woman wouldn’t want to soak in a hot bubble bath after all those readings?



Fortune Fish Flopping

I read his ex-girlfriend’s blog for company,
some kind of pathetic commiseration.
I only met the chick once.
I’m better looking but she’s better
at functioning in Big Girl World.
And her hair is obedient.
That’s always a killer.

I look for signs in the Western Sky.
All I see are birds flying into candy melt sun.
The clouds give no clues. They mock me
for being stuck in cow pasture
with Pink on the radio.
I don’t care for Pink.

The red fortune fish flops
in my palm.
This means he is thinking about me
but isn’t going to do anything about it.
Meanwhile the pizza rolls are burning
and the cockroaches
need killing.

I like this poem because it’s like viewing a stream-of-consciousness web of thought. As the poet describes “his ex-girlfriend” we find out at the bottom that she has forgotten the pizza rolls and that there is an infestation of cockroaches jolting her back to reality. It’s like any daily moment we are staring off into space thinking and then the external world comes rushing in.


To purchase a copy of Amethyst Miraculous by Misti Rainwater-Lites for yourself, visit the Propaganda Press link below, where for $5.00 (not including shipping and handling) you can have a copy for yourself:
http://alt-current.com/pp/pp_item.html#amethyst_miraculous


Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Seven Kitchens Press Blog

This small press is churning out beautiful chapbooks and generating news below:

http://sevenkitchenspress.wordpress.com/

Also, check out March 31st’s entry at Fiddler Crab Review where they interview Ron Mohring, the editor at Seven Kitchens Press about the work he does by going here:

http://fiddlercrabreview.blogspot.com/

Thanks for clicking in, please stop by tomorrow for another featured poet…